Mr. Adonis

>> Magnificently sculpted bodybuilder says no to fighting, juicing and stripping

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Gregory Ulysse

Age: 28

Height: 5-foot-8

Weight: 217 pounds

Occupation: Bodybuilder/personal trainer

Salary: $35,000 on a good year.

Cologne: Polo, by Ralph Lauren

Bio: This Plateau resident and beefy hunk of a boytoy has been formally competing on the bodybuilding circuit since turning 15. The former Mr. Canada 1999 and current Mr. North America, Gregory also sidelines as a personal trainer at the ProGym on Hochelaga street. A magnificent specimen of über-manhood, he has won eight of the last nine bodybuilding competitions he has participated in.

The first title he ever won: While still a teenager Gregory won the prestigious Mr. Haiti Montreal competition. "It was sponsored by an Asian hairdresser and I came in first. Since then I've just kept on going."

Was the Asian hairdresser who sponsored the event interested in one of Gregory's teenage muscles in particular? Not that he noticed.

Is there a lot of money in bodybuilding competitions? "Not at the amateur level. Bodybuilding doesn't have a great image because people look at us and immediately think of steroids--which is unfair and makes it hard to find corporate sponsors. Top professionals can make close to $1-million a year though."

Has he ever been tempted to take steroids? "It's tempting in a way because once you reach a certain level you are competing with a lot of people who do take them regularly. Steroids are in every sport but bodybuilding is about a lot more than just that."

Does he find that the bigger he gets the smaller his genitals seem in proportion to the rest of his body? "A lot of people say it gets smaller as you get bigger but in actuality it never changes--just your body around it. It only looks like it's smaller. Anyway, if you know how to use what you've got then there's no problem."

Before becoming a bodybuilder did he ever get sand kicked in his face by the bully of the beach? No.

Do jerks ever try to pick fights with him in bars just because he's all buffed? Not really. "I'm not the kind of person who attracts this sort of thing."

Has he ever been tempted to make a few extra bucks as an exotic dancer? "No, because the people who go to these places don't look at your body for your posing. They look at you for things that I don't even want to know about."

Where he hangs out: Sona, Aria. "I prefer the after-hours clubs because people are more relaxed and play less games."

Childhood ambition: To become a sportscaster.

Literary preferences: Gregory is fond of gossip magazines, especially People and Entertainment Weekly but he frowns upon the National Enquirer.

Musical tastes: Hip hop, R&B, JayZ, Celine Dion.

All-time favourite film: The Silence of the Lambs.

Favourite TV show: WWF Raw.

Words of wisdom: "What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve." :

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca